Less than a week after we reported that a city agency had cut Ellis Act legal defense funding by $2000, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced that he was tripling the program’s current $125,000 budget and adding an additional $700,000 for tenant counseling services. In a September 30 press release, Lee stated, “San Francisco must remain a viable place to live and work for people at all levels of the economic spectrum. That’s why I am providing additional resources to stop unlawful evictions and provide tenant counseling for our residents, so that San Francisco remains a City for the 100 percent.” Lee’s action will enable far more tenants to get the legal representation they need to challenge Ellis Act evictions. It represents a powerful statement that City Hall has been listening to the plight of the Lee family and others facing the loss of their longtime homes due to the Ellis Act.
